Tuesday, March 18, 2014

March Week 3: Spices, herbs, seasonings

As with all of the other weeks, store what your family uses. The one exception to that is that everyone should have iodized salt on their food storage shelves. It doesn't expire, so you can buy a case (or more) and you won't have to worry about having to throw it out... ever! Most of what I've read online indicates that there is no expiration date, though there is some debate about whether iodized salt may expire at some point. The following is from Eatbydate:

How Long Does Salt Last?

A better questions might be – does salt expire? Salt, or sodium chloride, is an essential mineral needed by the human body (and all animals) in order to function properly. It helps maintain the fluid levels in the body, yet an excess can be harmful. The shelf life of salt, a natural ingredient found in both land and sea has been there since the beginning of time. It is has been used for flavoring and food preservation for ages.

So, the official answer to does salt expire or does salt go bad is… No, it does not expire! When properly stored, the shelf life of salt is

(Unopened/Opened)

Pantry

Salt lasts for

Indefinite

There are many, many uses for salt, whether it be used with food or for cleaning. I store quite a bit of salt, and I will only have to re-buy it once in a long while -- perhaps when I see a good deal in a case lot sale. Check out some of the many uses for salt at the end of this post.

If you go through other seasonings or spices, it wouldn't hurt to add them to your list. I use quite a bit of cinnamon, taco seasoning, seasoning salt and pepper, so I like to have at least one large jar of each on my food storage shelf. When I run out in the kitchen, I take from the food storage so that I am naturally rotating through my storage. These other items do have an expiration date and will lose some of their flavor after time, so don't overbuy.

Decide what you and your family will need as far as spices, herbs and seasonings go, add it to your grocery list, and next time you're at the grocery store, buy what you need and get it on your shelves. Easy peasy and it takes literally 10 minutes of your time! ...And you don't have to think about any more food storage til next week!

If you would like the full info on the Week-By-Week Food Storage Plan, just click on the tab at the top of the page. You can then click on any single week and it will take you to the most up-to-date post that featured that week's items. It also has the information as to how you can get a copy of the weekly schedule as well as the complete inventory sheets.

24 Uses for Salt

We know that eating too much salt is unhealthy
for us (or is it?), but salt
has all kinds of uses around the home! From your beauty routine to cleaning,
salt can really come in handy.

Table salt and Epsom salts are perfect for
making green cleaning and DIY beauty products at home. They’re cheap, they’re
readily available, and unless you’re drinking that salt scrub you made, they’re
non-toxic. Regular old salt has some very useful qualities. It cuts grease like
a champ, is a mild antiseptic, and those tiny crystals are great for scrubbing
counter tops or your skin.

There are probably thousands of ways that you
can use salt around the house, so think of this list as a jumping-off point!

Salt for DIY Beauty

Who needs expensive, store-bought beauty
supplies when you have salt on hand? Check out these DIY beauty recipes that
use salt! If you have sensitive skin, you’ll want to try out these recipes on a
small area before you commit to scrubbing your whole face or body with salt.

1. Soothe Puffy Eyes – Soak a
cloth in 1 cup warm water that has 1/2 teaspoon of salt dissolved in it to make
a compress for tired eyes.

2. Exfoliate – After a bath or
shower, use plain old salt to slough off dead skin from dry areas like your
feed, elbows, or knees.

3. Homemade Facial – Mix 1 part
salt with 1 part olive oil, and massage into your face and neck. Wash of
with soap and water, and admire your glowing skin.

5. Whiten Teeth – A mixture of
1 part salt and 2 parts baking soda will not only whiten your
teeth but helps promote healthy gums by removing built up plaque. This mixture
is too abrasive to use daily, so only do this treatment occasionally.

6. Relax in a Salt Bath – A
couple of cups of salt in the tub helps relax sore muscles. You can up the ante
by adding some soothing essential oils, like lavender or chamomile.

Salt’s scrubbing and degreasing powers make it a
perfect choice for cleaning the house on the cheap and without harsh chemicals.
Just like with your skin, before you scrub any surface with salt, do a little
test to make sure it won’t scratch the finish.

9. Cleaning Brass – Combine 1
cup each of salt, white flour, and white vinegar. After you scrub the brass with it,
let it sit for 15-20 minutes, then wipe off with a damp cloth.

10. Get Grease out of Carpet –
Mix 1 cup salt with 4 cups alcohol to gently scrub grease out of rugs and
carpets.

11. Stop Wine Stains – Did you
spill that glass of red all over the tablecloth or rug? Blot up what you can
with a rag, when pour on the salt to soak up the remaining drops. Once the salt
is dry, rinse it with cold water, then vacuum.

12. Get Rid of Condensation Rings on
Wood – Add a tiny bit of salt to a light oil, like sunflower oil, and
gently massage away those ugly white rings left from cold glasses.

13. Make Sponges Last Longer –
Soak your sponge in cold water with a handful of salt to de-stink and extend
its life.

14. Clean Your Iron – Is your
iron a little sticky? Sprinkle some salt onto a piece of paper and iron over it
on low to clean it off.

15. Clean the Fish Tank -
Non-iodized salt is a great scrub for the inside of your fish tank. Just make
sure you rinse it well before refilling. Did I mention non-iodized salt? Make
sure that you use non-iodized salt.

16. Prevent Weeds – Are weeds
popping up between the tiles on your patio? Pour salt into those crevices to
keep them away naturally.

Cleaning the Kitchen
with Salt

You may not shake salt into your food, but it’s
so handy for cleaning in the kitchen that it deserves a category all its own.

17. Clean Greasy Pans – Slice a
lemon in half, sprinkle on some salt, and marvel at the grease-cutting power!

18. Get Out Coffee and Tea Stains –
Is your favorite mug looking a little dingy? Rub those coffee or tea stains
with salt to buff them away.

19. De-Stink that Fridge – Next
time you clean out your refrigerator, use a mixture of salt and seltzer to
scrub the inside. The scrub will remove stains and grease and cut odors at the
same time.

20. Clean the Coffee Pot – If
your coffee hasn’t been tasting great lately, it could be that the lines of
your coffee pot have oils built up. Run a full pot with water and 1/4 cup salt
through your machine, then run just water. Your next pot of coffee will taste
so much better!

22. Scouring Cutting Boards –
Remember that tip about the half lemon for greasy pans? You can use the same
one to clean your cutting board.

23. Get the Tarnish off of
Silverware – Scrub with salt and a dry rag to make your silverware
shiny again.

24. Deodorize the Oven – Did a
casserole bubble over, and now your oven smells like burning? Before the oven
cools down, sprinkle salt – carefully - onto the spilled food.
Let it cool, then use a scrub brush to remove the salt. No more stink